Can Heroin Use Cause Schizophrenia? What You Need to Know

Have you seen people who talk about things in their life that actually do not exist in reality? If you have, hear them carefully because you will find out the things they experience are detailed and almost real to imagine. These individuals must be seeing or hearing things that are not natural. There is a high chance that these people are patients of schizophrenia. Now many claim that these psychotic features are the result of drug abuse. One of the most misused illicit drugs today is Heroin. It carries a lot of harmful effects. Is it possible that using Heroin is one of the reasons behind worsening mental health? If yes, can Heroin use cause schizophrenia or not? Let’s find out.

Introducing Heroin

Heroin is an opioid and also considered a psychoactive drug. It is one of the most dangerous man-made drugs found today. With no medical use because of its risky potency many countries do not allow its consumption and production legally. As a drug, it acts in the central nervous system very quickly. Like any other opioid, it has to bind with μ-opioid receptors in our GABA neurons. But for that it has to convert into Morphine first and then produce the “high” by flooding dopamine neurotransmitters in the brain. So it is a semi-synthetic opioid derived from opium plants. Being psychoactive means that it can affect the nervous system immensely.

Effects Of Heroin

The heroin drug has been known to have some of the harshest effects of all the drugs. It primarily targets the brain, the final destination of its mechanism. Heroin affects the brain and other organs very harshly. Some of these side effects are slowing down major functions of the brainstem like breathing and heart rate, reduction of gray matter, etc. Besides these as a CNS depressant Heroin can cause issues in many other areas of our body. These effects are causing constipation in the stomach and weaken the immunity. Heroin can notoriously mess with memory and cognitive functions, which can lead to schizophrenia.

How Can Heroin Use Cause Schizophrenia?

Heroin can cause schizophrenia, or more commonly psychosis. But there are not many instances of Heroin causing this mental health issue. A study in the Journal of Clinical Medicines talks about a 25 year old patient who developed psychosis after he stopped taking Heroin. This means Heroin itself may not cause schizophrenia but its withdrawals can definitely lead to this possibility. Let us understand how this mental disorder ends up becoming one of the withdrawal symptoms of the drug.

How Does Schizophrenia Occur As A Withdrawal?

Abruptly stopping Heroin use can cause paranoia, which is a prominent feature of schizophrenia. It all begins with the role of Endorphins in Heroin’s mechanism. These are neuropeptides in the brain that disinhibit dopamine flow. In a Heroin dose the brain adjusts to the excessive dopamine levels because of the endorphins. But when one stops the dose there occurs a drop of dopamine that affects the brain chemistry. Some noradrenaline neurons also get activated in another part of the brain called locus coeruleus. All of these factors lead to neurological imbalance that may cause psychotic behavior, which very much resembles schizophrenia.

Does Heroin Actually Cause Such Mental Disorders?

In reality it is much more of a speculation that Heroin can cause schizophrenia. There are very few cases of Heroin abuse that have led to such psychotic symptoms. This case uniquely demonstrates that heroin can legitimately cause schizophrenic behavior. Because this phenomenon occurs less frequently than with other substances, researchers must conduct more studies to definitively link these effects to heroin use. There should be no doubt that Heroin withdrawals can lead to problems like delirium or psychosis which is similar to schizophrenia, but schizophrenia itself is very rare.

Importance Of Drug-Induced Schizophrenia Discussion

Well now we have an idea on how can Heroin use cause schizophrenia or not. Even if Heroin does not cause this mental disorder directly, there are instances where Heroin-induced psychosis has led to schizophrenia. There are also many cases in which if a person is already going through psychotic disorders like schizophrenia, Heroin addiction can worsen it. Let us now discuss the important points that can tell us how crucial this discussion is.

• As said earlier, using illegal drug can lead to temporary psychosis or delirium as withdrawal symptoms. Because these symptoms resemble schizophrenia, clinicians might wrongly diagnose many patients with the condition. It only occurs after long-term use of Heroin that worsens prevailing psychosis.
• Many people diagnosed with schizophrenia use illicit substances like heroin for various reasons. A study in Schizophrenia Research also cites that schizophrenia patients have a major risk of substance-use-disorder (SUD). The reasons can vary from person-to-person like one takes Heroin to cope up with the negative side effects of the disorder whereas others feel rewarded by drugs when the mental issue makes them feel demotivated.
• There is another reason why people take street drugs when dealing with schizophrenia especially drugs like Heroin and Alcohol. People with this problem think they can “self-medicate” themselves to avoid clinical care for social reasons. Taking opioids or unregulated materials like cannabis even works for some patients.

Methods To Tackle Drug Dependence & Disorder

The problem of Heroin and schizophrenia often found together under dual diagnosis, needs to be taken care of by dual treatment. First let us find the right cure for schizophrenia.

Medications For Schizophrenia

Let us divide the medications into three categories:

• First-line treatment: Atypical antipsychotics like Cariprazine. Seroquel, Risperdal, etc.
• Second-line treatment: Older antipsychotics such as Perphenazine and Fluphenazine.
• Best treatment: Clozapine often works best when other medications fail.

Managing Heroin Withdrawal And Dependence

As we learned how psychotic disorders can be withdrawal symptoms of Heroin use and addiction, let us know how to tackle those challenges through a proper map for Heroin addiction treatment.

• Detoxification of the drug is the first step that is done under medical supervision. Since heroin is an opioid, doctors use medications for opioid-use disorder (MOUD) like Naltrexone and Buprenorphine to treat it.
• In a case where a person is dealing with both substance abuse and schizophrenia, Dual Diagnosis Treatment is often the choice of treatment for doctors.
• While many therapies can help the individual from here, Aftercare Planning stands out as one of the most effective and long-lasting treatments. It helps one identify the sober ways to achieve happiness and a stress-free life.

Conclusion

People often make the mistake of believing that using drugs can only relieve them from mental health issues. Heroin may not cause schizophrenia directly but can worsen it. Quitting street drugs is not only important for mental health but for your whole life. Talk to your doctors or psychiatrist and use the right medications for schizophrenia.